Star Crossed Lovers
by NightsShade04
Summary: Nakuka Senju hates the war. She wants nothing more than for it and the death to end. To get away from it all and to save all she can begins working on medical ninjutsu and antidotes in the woods where she meets the one boy she absolutely isn't allowed to love. Torn between their grudging clans and their growing feelings, will they get the happy ending they are fighting so hard for?
1. Happy Family

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not own Naruto or any of the characters besides Harumi, and anyone who doesn't belong in the original Naruto plot.**

Nakuka had always been a weird sleeper. Not in the sense that she went to bed in odd or uncomfortable position or woke elsewhere on her bed other than where she originally fell asleep or punched or mumbled creepily. She was actually quite cute looking, half curled up, fists lightly clenched into fist and held close to her face, mouth slightly open to release her shallow, soft noised breaths. It was more in the manner of waking her up. If someone she didn't know was coming to fetch her while she was asleep, she'd be up before they even knocked on the door, part of the Senju or not. Now, if it were someone she knew well ad trusted, like one of her brothers, waking her up took hours. They could pick her up and swing her around and she still wouldn't wake up. Of course, when their Father was coming to wake them, she up, dressed and gone before he even entered their hall. As was the case, this particular day.

"NAKUKA!" The multi-color haired girl merely giggled at her Father's fury fueled shout at finding her room empty and her presence hidden. She was supposed to train with him today, but decided she'd rather not, for both her own and Hashiramas sake. With one more exultant smile in the direction of her house, she slipped over the wall that completely caged in the Senju and disappeared into the forest.

Nakuka was a free spirit type of person, often preferring to be in the woods than in a training session with the other kids to be a better Shinobi, studying plants and trying to make her dream of using Chakra to heal a reality. She wasn't a fan of the war, or even fighting. She was sick of all injuries and deaths and deemed it unnecessary and stupid. She feared everyday that one day, one or more of her four older brothers wouldn't return from the battlefield alive or come back so injured death was clearly imminent.

So she spent most of her time amidst the trees and wildlife, studying animals and plants alike to learn and try to mimic their amazing abilities. For instance, the way a lizard can regrow the tail it previously threw away to save its life and the crafty barbers who couldn't be found by the cunning Fox hunting it because of its home. She wanted to be able to do those things to. Protect and save without violence as much as she could. Kunoichi's are rare anyway. Butsuma only wanted her to train as a Shinobi because she was his daughter and he wanted her to be an example for other girls in the Clan to strive for and to be able to gloat about all his children being Shinobi. He wanted more ninjas to send to war. It would give him a great advantage over the Uchiha, who only made Kunoichis out of girls who awakened the Sharingan.

Hashirama never took kindly to his father's pushing, more so when Butsuma took it too far, believing he needed to be harder on her to make her a good Shinobi because she was a girl, instead of easier. She would take it, never showing him weakness or any emotion at all. All her kindness and smiles never reached him because she deemed him unworthy of it. Hashirama always stepped in after a little bit because when things got out of hand her three other brothers would stop holding him back from intervening. None of them, even if they thought the training to be best for her, Tobirama, could bare to watch or stand by when their father became brutal with their baby sister.

Leisurely she strolled through the woods taking in her surroundings. They were as familiar as the back of her hand now. The grass was soft on her bare feet. The breeze brushed through her hair like the soothing fingers of a loving mother's hand. The forest was so peaceful. It almost made the war seem as if a horrible dream. Almost. She was not so silly or hopeful to ever really believe the kind illusion the forest gave, no matter how much she wanted to. She wouldn't be caught off guard when her brothers came to fetch her because something terrible happened or when she returned to find more Senju had been lost. She wished she didn't have to worry about such things all the time. She wished they could have peaceful, calm days without worry of losing something precious or have to see something traumatic in the near future. She hated this nightmare they called life adults refused to let go of for any reason.

Today, she was going to take the next step towards her dream. She had already managed to create the green Chakra and could heal small plants with it. She wanted to tackle something bigger before moving onto the more complex life forms living in the wild. From there, she would move up of the large scale and then start on humans, test runs and practice before showing off her new Jutsu. She didn't want to give her father a chance to shut it down.

She headed straight for a burnt area of the forest, a good distance way from her settlement, over a river and beyond. She knew she could heal a trampled or wilted flower to perfect health and restore broken tree limbs on a tree and such. Now she wanted to see if she could bring back or give back the nutrients and make the burnt foliage come back to life. It was clear that the destruction was from a fire Jutsu, used at different times. Someone was practicing here, perfecting their Jutsu. She knew that ad approached cautiously. Senju weren't known for fire Jutsu and they'd never go this far out to practice, so it was definitely an enemy Shinobi.

Nakuka hid behind a tree, searching with her Chakra for anyone nearby. Once she was certain she was safe from being discovered she hopped down onto the charred ground. Her main priority was the tree. It had once been so beautiful and full of life but the blackened ground offered no nutrients and it steadily wilted until it became this leafless, skeleton of a tree. Tenderly, she placed her hands on the tree, starting with her finger tips and then pushing her had flat against it. She closed her eyes ad focused. She thought of a flower blooming, and spring, and the leaves on the tree growing back, glowing in the sunlight, and of pain and the feeling of wanting to make that pain go away while focusing her Chakra in her hands. She poured that power into all of the tree, from the very deepest root, to the tip of the tallest branch.

She didn't stop until something soft brushed across her hand. With a gasp, Nakuka pulled back, her concentration breaking and the Jutsu dying. Sticking out of the tree was a little green leaf. She gently stroked the leaf, smiling proudly, softly and noticed that a shadow covered her had ad her arm. She looked down, noting it was all over her, in a pattern only leaves made. Nakuka glanced up eyes wide and a large grin stretched over her face. The tree was fully alive again, glowing beautifully under the rays from the sun. She had done it. Not only that, but a circle of fresh green grass surrounded the tree. Her Jutsu had spilled out of the roots and into the ground, bring it back to life as well.

"YES!" She cheered, throwing her arms up, hopping around in a dance like fashion.

"WOOO!" Nakuka jumped at the sudden exclamation and whipped around. All four of her brothers stood behind her, varying looks on their faces. Hashirama was practically glowing with pride; his hands clenched and held at a ninety degree angle, eyes wide and gleaming, huge toothy smile, and chest puffed out. Itama was the epitome of awe; arms hanging limply, eyes wide, jaw hanging, leaning forward slightly. Kawarama grinned cheekily, holding a thumbs up proudly. Tobirama stood there, arms crossed, but held a small smile of admiration on his face. Nakuka grinned back shyly, scratching her cheeks, half embarrassed because they saw her little display and the other half of embarrassment came from not sensing them. She was surprised Tobirama was't tearing into her for being so careless. Then again, they had more practice with stealth and hiding oneself from detection. She herself was a master at hiding, but sensing was a completely different story.

"So this is what you've been working on!" Hashirama exclaimed, excited. "All this time we've only used Chakra to fight, when we could use it to heal as well!" He let out a loud laugh. "That's a amazing Nakuka!" He praised and her chest swelled with warmth and pride. Hashirama was her favorite older brother, most likely because their shared views on the war and such.

Tobirama nodded his agreement ad her grin widened. Nakuka and Tobirama often fought and didn't see eye to eye, so being praised by him felt pretty good. "The experience of watching that tree come to life was enigmatic. Have you named the Jutsu yet?" He asked merely out of curiosity. Nakuka pressed her lips together. She, in fact, hadn't. Naming the Jutsu had't even come into her mind yet. She looked down at her hands, trying to think of a good name. They waited patiently.

_'Enigmatic... difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious... mysterious...'_

She looked up at them, a large grin on her face and thrust her hands out, fingers spread. "Mystical Palm!"

"Excellent choice!" Hashirama exploded and lifted her up into the air and then spun, gaining a few chuckles from the other three boys. Nakuka shrieked with glee and laughed, enjoying the action. Then pulled her down for a tight hug, swaying back and forth and rubbing his head on her own.

"My cute little sister is so smart and talented and sweet!" Hashirama declared.

"Stop hogging her!" Kawarama cried, reaching out to take Nakuka from his grasp.

"Never!" Hashirama shouted and ran away from Kawarama's reaching hand, only to be chased by his younger brother. Nakuka squealed and laughed at her older brothers antics. "I'll never share her! She's my little sister!"

"What!? You can't claim her! She belongs to all of us!" Kawarama raged, hand outstretched to grab onto Hashirama's shirt as he chased him around. "Let me hug her too!" Tobirama huffed, shaking his head despite his amusement at the scene. Itama smiled nervously, a little concerned for his twin. Their older brothers were going to tear her in two one of these days, or at least drop her and trip over her.

"She's MY twin!" He yelled at them jokingly. He knew better than to actually join in the fight to be Nakuka's favorite, although, it was clear to him and Tobirama which one that was. Hashirama was the favorite for all of them, well, Kawarama might be the exception to that and of course, Hashirama's favorite was't himself.

"Shut the hell up!" Both boys retorted furiously and Itama laughed while Tobirama face palmed, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. Nakuka also laughed, cradled in her eldest brothers arms as he continued to flee from Kawarama. She glanced over his shoulder at the only brunette in the family, smiling. "I love you, Nii-san!" She egged him good naturedly. His eyes widened and a blush coated his cheeks and then his face began dead serious and an odd glint entered his eyes.

_'Ah... he looks a little scary now...'_ Nakuka noted, sweat-dropping, a little concerned.

"Uooowaaaa! Tatatatatatatata!" He shouted, picking up the pace. Hashirama jolted, stunned by the renewed conviction to get his little sister. Last second, Hashirama jumped up into the tree in front of him and Kawarama ran straight into the tree, having been so focused on them he didn't notice until his face was kissing it. He flew back, and landed on his back, leaves falling down around him from the intense impact.

"Heh! Your power of Sis-con love is strong, but your a hundred years to out do me!"**[1]** Hashirama announced cockily, teasingly. Kawarama halfheartedly glared up at him, rubbing his aching face.

"Power of Sis-con love?" Tobirama muttered, concerned on a number of levels for his brothers mental stability. Itama smiled unsurely. It was sweet how they loved her so much... and kind of creepy too sometimes. Said girl was doing her best not laugh at Hashirama's words until the trees warned her enemy ninja were nearby. She quickly informed her brothers, momentarily stunning them. They shook it off and Tobirama checked, confirming her announcement. It wasn't the first time she sensed something before Tobirama, but it only ever happened in these specific woods. They ever knew why, or even asked.

They headed back together. Itama was on the farthest right, beside Kawarama. Tobirama was the farthest left beside Hashirama. Nakuka was in the middle, her two favorite brothers each holding one of her hands. Nakuka really loved her brothers and she loved days like this even more. If the war didn't exist, she could have these days everyday without worry that sometime, one of them was going to disappear. They were all so important and special in her life in their own way and she couldn't imagine life without even one of them. It was a fear that had hug over her head for as long as she could remember and it would continue to until this pointless war finally ended and set them all free.

**A/N:**

**[1] I so badly wanted to put young grasshopper at the end of that sentence! XD**

**If Hashirama had a baby sister I could totally see him as a Sis-con, supported by how he spoiled his first granddaughter - Tsunade - rotten. We never get to know Kawarama but he seemed like the energetic, mischievous type. Plus, it brought a bit teeny tiny more comedy into the Senju brothers - Siblings, I should say, I guess with Nakuka thrown in - dynamic, with him being like a more troublemaker version of Hashirama and just as much of a sis-con.**


	2. Crossed Line

**Disclaimer: Obviously, I do not own Naruto or any of the characters besides Harumi, and anyone who doesn't belong in the original Naruto plot.**

Nakuka sat in the yard of their home, frowning as she put together bundles of herbs and ointments for healing for the platoon about to leave; blood increasing pills, military rations and other such things, with the help of other girls and women of the Senju, teaching them how to do it. Whenever they asked a question, she slipped on a kind smile ad taught them they way to do it. Her father had to admit her herbal inventions had saved a couple lives, but it was clear the enemies managed to get their hands on it and decode them. It wasn't easy, but did and were making them themselves. In return, Butsuma declared it more harmful than helpful, but it gave the women something to do and the enemy had it, so they couldn't just stop and give them that advantage.

Although his attitude irked her, having chewed her out in front of a large group, that wasn't the cause for her frowns at the moment. Kawarama, one of her precious older brothers, was apart of the platoon and they'd be meeting the Uchiha in battle. They're supposed to have the upper hand, having scouted out an Uchiha camp they planned but Nakuka couldn't help the sick feeling twisting her gut up; the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. She shook her head and pressed her lips into a thin line. She couldn't think like that. She had to believe that, no matter, he, at least, was coming home to her, alive. She was just anxious because it was apart of her family that was going out to battle.

Hashirama had tried to take Kawarama's place, but their Father wouldn't allow it. Hashirama had been in a tough battle the day before and was still tired. Tobirama had a different mission for tomorrow, also a tough one, that Kawarama wasn't qualified to go on. Butsuma deemed it an easy mission that still required full strength. That, and Kawarama was getting older and needed to be more active in the war. She had whipped a basket at him for that one, successfully hitting him in the face, and probably the cause for the public degrading lecture she received later. Kawarama was only seven! A year older than her and Itama!

"It's time!" Butsuma yelled from a short distance. Every girl there who had a loved one leaving tensed and struggled to keep the sadness and anxiety off their faces. Those who didn't let their shoulders sag, feeling the weight of the declaration, hating the all the guilt they felt, because, deep inside, they were happy one of their loved ones would not be leaving the safety of the walls. They worked to hide that pleasure from others by any means, feeling it to be disrespectful and cruel to relish in anothers pain, if it meant others pain saved them from suffering. It was a disgusting feeling Nakuka was all too familiar with. While she felt every loss, not just to the Senju, but other clans as well, the prospect of losing her brothers hit much closer to home and she could't help the relieved feeling she got when they would be staying home, safe and sound. No one was stranger to that relief, no matter how shaming the feeling felt.

They collected the little bags they put together so sluggishly, trying to stall the inevitable and filed towards the village gates where the 'men' were double checking their weaponry and armor straps. Nakuka instantly picked out Kawarama amongst them, one of the shortest at the group. There were two others kids around his size, one smaller, the other barely taller. With a strained smile, she handed him his bag of herbs and took in his appearance; medium length spiky light brown hair, dark eyes, sun kissed skin, an 'x' scar on his right cheek, taller than herself with a layer of muscle a seven year old shouldn't have to have, clad in green Senju armor.

He smiled cheekily and placed a comforting hand on her head, easily picking up on her distress. "Don't worry so much. You'll only go from adorable to a wrinkly hag doing that." She smiled lightly, not taking offence to the comment at all. "I'll be back by tonight and your gonna come cuddle with me for the night!~" That squeal was followed by a glomping, rubbing his head against her as he and Hashirama often did. She ignored the pain from his armor and his tight hold and didn't comment on his shaking because, she knew, in the end, despite his optimistic words and smiling face, he was just as terrified as her. He didn't believe his own words, so she would do it for him.

"Okay, Nii-san! I love you!" She chirped, readily agreeing to sleep in his bed for the night. He and Hashirama occasionally wanted to cuddle with her for the night, mostly when they go on missions. She supposed, after seeing the horrors of war, holding onto something one loved helped, if only a little bit, cause they would both hold her tight all night long, wide awake and shaking, and she'd do her best to console them, stroking their hair and backs and humming softly. Nakuka was certain her mother would be doing the same - did the same - but she wasn't here to do it anymore, so Nakuka decided to fill in for her. She even started sneaking into Tobirama's room to help him, even though he never asked for it and she could see that it helped him just as it helped his other traumatized brothers. It wouldn't be long before Itama would be requiring that solace.

"Kawarama!" The platoon leader called and he squeezed Nakuka a little, whispered 'I love you too', and kissed the top of her head before parting, his mask on; cold and determined. He nodded at her and turned away, walking out the gates with his platoon. Nakuka wanted nothing more than to run away and go hide in the forest until night fell, but she could't leave just yet. Not util he was out of sight. He would surely look back for her and feel disheartened if she wasn't there. She couldn't be crying either. So she slapped on the biggest smile she could muster and waved her arms around widely, pretending not to have a care in the world because she wholly believed in her brother ad his words, for his sake. Turn around he did, the sight of his little sister bright face and faith giving a boost of courage that he desperately needed.

When he was far enough away that he couldn't see her face, she let it fall, lips crumpling together, trying to hold back her cries of sorrow, eyebrows furrowing and the tears began crawling down her cheeks, but she kept up her wild waving until he disappeared over the horizon and promptly crumpled, pulling her clenched fists into her chest, one hand holding the other, eyes squeezed shut.

_'Please... Please... Come home, Kawarama-nii-san... Please... I... I don't want all the fun you, Hashirama and I have to end... I don't want you to disappear... I love you...'_

* * *

><p>Nakuka walked aimlessly through the trees, her worry making her anxious. She stopped and released a sigh. Just like that, a flash of orange shot out of a nearby bush, and ran up the length of Nakuka's body in circles, stopping on her shoulder and rubbing it's small, soft furred head against her own. Nakuka let out a soft giggle. "I missed you too, Orihime." She greeted the little fox, scratching said foxes ear. She was smaller than the average fox and bright orange with dark brown on her ear tips and tail tip. She also had two dark brown socks - one her front left leg and her back right one - the front having white toes and one white sock on her back left, shorter than the brown socks. She had white on her face that stretched down her puffy chest, over her belly and under some of her tail with big copper eyes. She was one of Nakuka's many friends in the forest. The species of her friends varied, but she preferred her fox friends over the rest.<p>

Then the trees whispered softly to her, warning her of an enemy up head. She turned her feet to go a different away and froze. In the direction the forest was warning her away from was the scorched ground and trees. Her feet shifted back and forth and she bit her lip thoughtfully, a habit that came out every now and then. She was curious about who is was, but it could be very dangerous. There was a fine line between stupid and innocence and she tried hard not cross it, let alone flirt with it. She wasn't so naive as to believe if that was an adult, she would get out unscathed, or alive for that matter. In the end, she turned back in her regular course, hoping the forest will help her out just a little more, unable to go on without satisfying her curiosity. There was something drawing her in this direction and she couldn't ignore it. She felt as though if she did, she would miss out o something amazing and regret it for the rest of her life.

She crept forward, Orihime on her heels, keeping low, shifting her weight accordingly, masking her Chakra perfectly. Nakuka owned the forest, or at least this one. It was her domain. She'd spent so much time in it, studying both it and the life it provided for. Plus, more with her natural ability to control her Chakra, hiding and mimicking a predators skills to her own self wasn't much of a chore. She had yet to see the person and she swiftly moved behind a tree, back pressed against it. It was in that moment, with only a measly tree between her and a Shinobi skilled enough to use fire Jutsu, she realized she officially crossed over that line and she was a complete idiot.

Nakuka took deep breathes, eyes cast to the side but unable to see the Shinobi still. Her heart hammered against her ribs from both excitement and fear. She twisted her body, placing both hands on the tree trunk and poked her head out from behind it. He stood there, burn marks on his face, panting. He'd been at it for a while. He wore a simple black kimono top clumsily tied, black pants and the typical black ninja sandles. Off to the side, she noticed a sword, still sheathed, leaning on the tree she had healed a little bit ago. He had fair skin, an upper lip slightly fuller than the bottom, dark eyes under thin eyebrows and black spiky hair that parted down the middle and framed his face nicely. Not at all like her brothers. It mostly spiked backwards whereas Tobirama's and Kawarama's went all over the place. It was a longer in the front than theirs too. He couldn't have been much older than her.

He made the hand signs again and she perked up, opening her eyes wider as though it would help her see better. He sucked in a deep breath, placed his hand in front of his mouth, fingers making an 'o', and blew out fire. It was big and she could feel the heat pouring off from where she hid. It lasted a good bit. She couldn't help but think it was kind of beautiful despite the destruction it wrought on both the ground and the boys face. She was mesmerized.

He, on the other hand, frowned and made a noise of displeasure in the back of his throat. What he produced clearly didn't reach the standards he had set for himself. Nakuka didn't understand why. She had never seen fire Jutsu before and she thought him amazing. Unhappy that he couldn't see his own greatness, she did the stupidest thing yet. She clapped, announcing her presence to the enemy ninja.

He whipped around, pinpointing her as she exclaimed; "That was amazing!"

He had tensed, staring at her with his brow pulled together, uncertain of what to do. She didn't belong to his Clan so she could be an enemy ninjas child. But girls were rarely made into Shinobi and she was complimenting him. She wasn't dressed for a fight either, in her gold embroidered red kimono with black trimming and a yellow sash and black skirt, holding ta folded pattern that reminded him of a fan.

"Do... do you really think so?" He questioned, having decided she was hardly a threat. She nodded vigorously, eyes lighting up even more. He wondered if it was because of the topic or because he responded.

"I really do!"

"Thanks." He mumbled, scratching the back of his head, a little embarrassed. Reassured by his friendly nature she hopped up and approached him, hands clasped behind her back and smiling kindly. this was her first time meeting another kid from a different Clan. She wondered which one he was from but knew he'd never tell. It was Shinobi law to keep ones last name hidden from strangers. He eyed her warily, believing she might have some ulterior motive still.

"Hi!" She chirped. "I'm Nakuka!"

He pursed his lips, halfheartedly pretending to debate whether or not to introduce himself. He knew he was going to and dragged it out. "Izuna."

"Izuna." She echoed, testing it out. "It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah." He agreed, kicking his feet awkwardly. He hardly interacted with other children from his Clan. He mostly stuck with her brothers, minus one now. Shintaro died a couple of days ago. He certainly never went anywhere near girls. He didn't know how to act around her or handle her. Nakuka noticed this and couldn't help but giggle at his expense, causing him to pout.

"Sorry, sorry!" She apologized, still laughing a him a bit, waving her hand dismissively.

"You saw one of my Jutsu, so show me one of yours!" He demanded indignantly and then flushed, remembering last minute that she was't a ninja. "I- I- I mean-!"

"Okay!" He watched her approached then blackened ground and kneel in it, gently laying her palms flat against it. He raised an eyebrow at her behavior, sure the only thing was gonna do was get her knees and legs dirty. She sucked in a deep breath and then concentrated, focusing her Chakra in her palms and green Chakra consumed her hands. Izuna blinked in surprise and leaned forward a bit, curious. His eyes got bigger as the ground came to life; the black crispy grass becoming soft and green again. It continued to stretch out, spreading through all the damage he had done. When it got closer to him, he crouched down and placed his own palm against the ground, feeling it change with his own fingers. When all the ground had be renewed, she stopped her Jutsu.

"I call it Mystical Palm."

"Fitting." Izuna breathed, hardly able to believe his superior eyes. He'd never seen such a thing, Chakra being used to heal. Chakra was always a means of using elements and such to harm others, not help. He may not have verbally praised her, but Nakuka could see the respect and awe in his eyes. "Can you only heal plants? Where did your clan get this kind of Jutsu?"

"The only ones who know about it are my brothers. I created it, and um... I'm not sure if I can heal anything else. I was gonna test it on a fish soon..." She replied. He was momentarily stunned by that news and then leaned forward eagerly.

"How about today!? I'll even catch the fish for you!" He pressed. He wanted to see more of miraculous Jutsu and just how far it could go. Maybe when when got his Sharingan he could try to copy it and take it home with him, help his Clan mates, or convince her to teach it to him.

"Okay!" She agreed, just as excited to take the next step as he was. He retrieved his sword and they made their way down to the river.**[1] **He wasted no time wading into the river, dropping his sword on the ground not to far from it. Nakuka settled on the ground, getting comfortable. Orihime came and curled up on her lap and she absentmindedly stroked her back, slowly putting the little creature to sleep. A little amused, she watched the young Shinobi struggle to catch a fish. After many failed attempts, failing falls and spewed curses, he finally caught one, crying out victoriously. It was cute.

He threw the fish in her direction and hurriedly scrambled out, taking a place in front of her. He stared intensely, waiting and then frowned at her. "You're not doing anything."

Her eyes brows came together, up turned but she kept smiling. "There's nothing to heal."

He made an 'o' with his mouth and the snatched up his sword. Unsheathing it, he swiped at the fish, creating a long laceration along the length of its body and set it down, not bothering to re-sheath it. The fishes struggling became wilder. Nakuka hadn't been ready for it and she felt bad for the suffering the poor little fish had to go through and quickly placed her hands over the fish, not wanting to touch and irritate the wound and poured her green Chakra into the little creature and then suddenly it stopped moving. She yanked her hands back, a little horrified.

Izuna blinked and raised an eyebrow at her. "Um... what happened?" Nakuka's shoulders popped up, not sure herself. Reaching out, she used her Chakra to scan the slime-y creature. The cut Izuna had created disappeared, but the fish was still as though it had died. Did her Jutsu have the opposite effect on non-plant life? Reaching her hands out, she scanned the slime-y creature with her Chakra.

"The hearts still beating." She murmured, becoming more confused. It was clearly still alive. She pulled the side of her lip into her mouth, biting down gently as she tried to figure out what happened. Hesitantly she poked it. Nothing. She did it again. Still nothing. "It's like... it shut down. Maybe it's because I used too much Chakra? I overloaded it's system and either shut the brain down put into a coma.

"Either way, I'm still eating it." Izuna says. "Should I get another?"

"Yeah. I wanna try again." He nodded and waded back into the pool, doing a double take when he noticed Orihime, eye brows raising a nit before shaking it off. He put everything into his concentration, hoping to catch a fish sooner than he did last time. His chest puffed out proudly when her succeed and even more so when she clapped for him, having recognized it as well. He dropped the fish in front of her, ignoring the way she winced for the creature and cut that one just as swiftly before sitting cross legged in front of her.

She calmed herself and hovered her hands over the slime-y body and letting only a little of her ability pour into the body, focusing on mending the wound, visualizing it coming together and the feelings of happiness and wanting to help. "Anything?"

Izuna leaned over, trying to get a better look. "No. Maybe you're holding back too much. Try a little more." He instructed thoughtfully. She nodded and did just that. He gasped. "It's closing! Closing... closing and closed!" He exclaimed and she stopped, committing the feeling of the healing and the healing being finished to memory so that she wouldn't over do it again.

"One more time!" He blinked, but complied. It wasn't like she stopped practicing the fireball Jutsu after being able to perform it once. He wanted to improve it and she most likely wanted to do the same.

This time, she stopped him from harming the fish and just let it flop around until it still. She left it like that for a moment, mystifying Izuna, before going in to heal. She put in the same amount of effort she used to heal the fishes wound last time and slowly amped it up, until she yanked back with a gasp. The fish was hopping around wildly, have been revived by her Jutsu. She met Izuna's eyes and they both grinned.

"Too bad he's just going to die again." He murmured teasingly and Nakuka felt like a boulder had been dropped and she hug her head, feeling guilty for all the suffering the fish was going through. He died and came back only to die to feed the young Shinobi. Izuna smiled at her, amused by her reaction. She was such a gentle creature. He picked up the fish and tossed it into the river, where it quickly swam away. She looked up at him with those grey eyes, wide and surprised. He flushed and looked away. "We can always catch another. That specific one doesn't have to die... again." Her whole person lit up; face, eyes, aura, and then she nodded, smilingly happily. His cheeks darkened and he whipped around. He really wasn't used to girls and she was... cute.

"I'll help!" She announced, hopping up.

"Okay." He murmured and then his competitiveness came through, saving him from being awkward again. "I bet I can catch more fish than you in five minutes. Don't forget, I have a three fish lead." He smirked.

Nakuka pouted, eyes twinkling with excitement at the challenge. "Two fish lead. She corrected. You don't get to count the fish you threw back!" He scrunched his nose and stuck his tongue out at her. "Fine. Winner gets a prize."

Her excitement level rose. "Okay!" They hopped into the water and counted to three together and then shouted 'GO!' and then dove into the water, chasing any and every fish they saw.

In the end, Izuna won. He caught three and she caught four, but he had a two fish lead, so he technically had five, one more than Nakuka. She didn't mind that much and congratulated him on his victory. They cooked the fish over a fire started by Izuna and eat them, four for Izuna, three for Nakuka and, two for Orihime.

"So, what do you want as a prize?" Izuna asked, confusing Nakuka. She tilted her head to the side.

"What do you mean? You won."

"No, you did. It's shameful to take an advantage over a girl, plus I'd caught those before the game started, so that's not fair. So you caught four and I caught three. You won. What do you want?" He explained.

"What do I want, huh?" She looked down at the fire, feeling a little self conscious at the only wish that was currently in her head and her heart. "I... " Heat spread through her cheeks, dying them red. "I want... to see you again... some time soon." Shyly, she slowly raised her eyes to meet his surprised ones, watching his own cheeks turn red. "That's all."

_'All she wants... is to see me again...'_ He half wanted to laugh at her. He expected her to ask for an object or something, not what he secretly wanted as well. He was happy to know she wanted to see him again though.

"I can do that." He murmured, picking at the grass. "Sometime."

"Really?!" She gasped, leaning forward.

Her excitement only increased his embarrassment. "Y- yeah. No problem."

"I'm so happy." She smiled brightly, seeming relieved. He smiled at the ground. She was unbelievably honest and sweet. "Hey, what did you want for a prize?" She asked out of curiosity. He shrugged nonchalantly.

"You to heal my face." He answered, referring to the burn marks made from practicing his Jutsu.

"Idiot." He would have gotten angry if he hadn't realized the amount of affection she put into the insult and she crawled over to him. "I would have done that earlier if you had asked. You don't need to win something for me to heal you." She lifted her hands, letting them hover over his cheeks, closed her eyes and focused. He thought that it would feel weird and intrusive, but it was actually warm and felt nice. He took the chance to take in her appearance. He was too afraid to stare at her earlier from fear he'd get caught and now he had the perfect excuse. Her skin was fair, but still held more color than his own and her eyebrows, black, were a little thicker than his own. She had a small mark, like a single dark freckle, right next to the outer bottom corner of her left eye, oddly enhancing her beauty and her lashes were long, dark and thick, making her grey eyes pop a little, not that he could see them at the moment and she had a cute nose. Her hair had to the the most unusual thing he'd ever seen, but looked nice on her. It parted down the middle and reached mid-back. She had bangs, showing off the center of her forehead that stopped just above her eyebrows and then came down further curling in towards her face after passing the length of her eye and two thick strands hanging in front of her ears on either side of her face. What was so striking about it, was while most of it was black - blacker than his own - her bangs and the white strands - everything surrounding her face - was snow white.

"There." She breathed, pulling back and his face no longer stung.

"Thanks." Abruptly, she looked up and frowned. Izuna followed her gaze, unsure of what was bugging her.

"It's getting late." She mumbled and then he knew. It was time to part ways. The sky was beginning to turn into pinks, oranges and purples as the sun went down. Unexpectedly, she threw her arms around his neck, stunning him. "Hey, promise, we'll meet again sometime soon, okay?"

He fought the blush slowly starting to rise, slipping his arms around her waist to return the hug. "Y- yeah. I promise."

Nakuka nodded, feeling satisfied with that. She still did't want to leave. She liked being with Izuna. Unknown to her, he felt the way. She squeezed and then slowly parted from him, looking a little sad. "Until next time."

He nodded and stood, helping her up. "Be careful."

"I will, so long as you are."

"Of course." With that, they hesitantly parted ways, continuously looking over their shoulders for the other, suddenly feeling lonely at their absence. Even so, Nakuka spirits were still higher than they had been earlier this morning. She couldn't believe she thought something terrible was going to happen.

* * *

><p>Nakuka could only stare with wide eyes, completely caught off guard and heartbroken, as they filled her older brothers and the rest of his platoons graves. There was hardly anything left of him in the casket. Being with Izuna had made her forget, if only for a little while, how cruel the world was and all of the fears she carried in her heart. She had gone home thinking - feeling - everything would be okay, no matter what. She only hoped he went home feeling the same way and didn't get it snatched away from him in such a cruel manner, in such a painful was supposed to come home safe and sound ad they were going to cuddle for the night. He was't supposed to die. Itama, to her left cried, wiping at his face vigorously, but the tears kept coming. To her right, Tobirama stared blankly with a frown, only the slight crease in his brow giving away the pain he felt inside. His eyes flickered to his little sisters shell shocked face and he reached up, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.<p>

"Kawarama." Hashirama breathed, looking just as taken aback and horrified as Nakuka.

"Shinobi don't cry." Butsuma sternly scolded Itama. Nakuka glared at him hatefully, wondering if he even cared at all. His face certainly didn't look any different than normal. It was just another day to him. The same old same old. War was all that man knew. "Shinobi are born into this world to fight and die in battle! Be grateful that we even have a piece of his corpse! For our enemy this time includes the Uchiha Clan in addition to the Hagoromo Clan! They are particularly merciless."

"Be grateful!?" Nakuka snarled. "For this?" She waved her hands at the coffins. "What about this should I be grateful for!? Our Clan members, my precious Nii-San, are dead!"

"Hold your tongue!" Butsuma roared, turning blazing eyes on her. Unable to contain his own anger as well, Hashirama started yelling as well.

"Kawarama was only seven! How long..." He took a deep steadying breath. "...will this kind of fighting continue?!"

"Until every last foe has has been vanquished." Butsuma replied. "The path to a battle-free world is not easily made." Nakuka scowled at his answer.

"And children must be sacrificed?" Hashirama monotonously questioned ad was swiftly punched by their father, hard enough to knock him down. The three siblings reached out for him, concerned.

"I will not allow Kawarama to be disrespected! He fought and died as a full-fledged Shinobi! He was not a child!" Hashirama held his face and glowered up at his father. Butsuma turned and started away. Hashirama was instantly surrounded by his remaining siblings, all concerned.

"Hashirama-ani-san, are you okay?" Itama asked.

"You know how father gets when we defy him." Tobirama murmured, trying to get his brother to cool his head before he got punished more.

"Here. Let me." Nakuka says, kneeling in front of him to put herself at his level and placed her hands over his face, the green Chakra enveloping them. She wasn't afraid to use it because of Izuna. Hashirama's face only scrunched up more.

_'I... don't want any of you... Itama...'_ He looked at Itama, taking in the kind and concerned face. His cute hairstyle, half black and half white, his one white and one black eye brow and dark grey eyes. _'Nakuka... Tobirama..._' He looked at Nakuka, sad and angry and focused and then Tobirama, both sad ad strict at the same time. _'...to die in vain.'_

Hashirama shot to his feet, cheek already healed. "The Senju, Clan of love? As if! A full-fledged ninja, my butt! All of this is just grown up driving kids to their deaths! We're doing exactly the same thing as the Uchiha!"

"That's how we honor our enemies! Even an infant wielding a weapon is deemed an enemy and to raise ones child to become full-fledged is a parents love." Butsuma replied. If that was his kind of love, he could keep it. Nakuka wanted nothing to do with so twisted a version. That wasn't love, that's what he had to tell himself to make himself feel better about what he's doing. That was him justifying his cruel actions and methods.

"So in ordered to become full-fledged you have to die!?" Hashirama shouted. "We kill and are killed so much, you can't even keep track of all the grudges and it's too risky to divulge our family names! And no one can explain why it's like that in the first place! There's something totally wrong about a ninja world like this!" By the end of his rant, he and pissed off Butsuma again.

"Kids like you are called brats!" He roared, moving in to punch Hashirama again. Nakuka stood in front of him protectively, arms spread out and Tobirama quickly jumped in front of her, stopping Butsuma in his tracks.

"Father!" Butsuma appraised him coldly, waiting for him to speak. "Ani-san is feeling depressed today... so please forgive him." Butsuma relaxed and turned away.

"Hashirama, go and cool your head." He turned and left. Her brothers headed into the forest but she remained in the village. More specifically in her house, in Kawarama's room, curled up in his bed. She had promised to cuddle with him for the night and even if he wasn't here, she was going to keep that promise. In the confines of his room, she kept one hand over her mouth to muffle her cries and let the tears fall. Butsuma absolutely did not tolerate tears from her, ever, and she didn't feel like dealing with him.

**A/N:**

**[1] It is the same river Madara and Hashirama are at but, there is a good distance between them. In my head, the river goes straight for a while and then bends close to a ninety degree angle and goes straight again. They are on separate sides of that bend.**


End file.
